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Orin
"There's an ancient wisdom I should have heeded long ago, if only I had recognized its truth applies as much to me as to all men. True happiness is found along a middle road. Therein lies the balance and the harmony -- with reason and emotion not at war, but hand in hand." Character Stat Sheet Public Information Most people know that King Orin of Atlantis is also the hero Aquaman one of the founding members of the Justice League. The first king of Atlantis to go public in the surface world he (and his sidekicks Aqualad and Tempest), is the first person of whom people think when they think of Atlanteans. Fewer people know that for a time Orin lived as a human named Arthur Curry an ID that remains valid even if ARGUS is aware of who it belongs to. History 'In the Beginning' ---- Orin's story begins tens of thousands of years in the past. The first Atlanteans became a society of great power, knowledge and wisdom upon their own continent on the planet Earth, millennia ago. They built cities, empires, space-faring vessels - they touched the stars and were enlightened. They were also not without enemies. Among the earliest of these were men elevated to immortality by The Comet, including one of their own number: Kordax. Kordax was a tyrant whose actions gave rise to a "curse" - that anyone born with hair like his (blond, a rare thing among Atlanteans), would fall to the same evil. The Curse of Kordax would come to affect the life of a certain blond Atlantean king, born thousands of years later. Orin. By the time he breathed his first, his race had dwelt beneath the waves for thousands of generations. Atlantis, the continent, was no more; Atlantis the deep-dwelling kingdom, endured. But for young Orin, he knew nothing of his incredible heritage at first. Being born to a human father, and raised in a lighthouse on the shores of Amnesty Bay, he learned to live as a human (if not quite being human himself), named Arthur Curry, before embracing his true nature. Then his father, Tom Curry, passed away. Tom, on his deathbed, bid his son go seek out his mother, Atlanna - to give her a simple message of his unending love for her. This, along with grief - and anger at the lack of understanding from his human neighbours - inspired the young Orin/Arthur to go seeking the fabled, sunken kingdom of Atlantis. He found it. ...Eventually. Orin's quest for his mother's home and her people led Orin to a number of individuals - some good, some bad, some... in between - that greatly influenced his development into the man he would later become. It started with Vulko - a fellow Atlantean and friend of both Orin's father, and mother. It was Vulko who first named Orin as the rightful King of the Seven Seas, who first bowed the knee, who told Orin the fate of his mother - that she had already passed on. Murdered. Possibly by his half-brother, Orm Marius. It was Vulko who first called Orin... Orin. Vulko led Orin to Atlantis. When introductions were finally made between Orin and his people, they were... cautious. Guarded. Few trusted him. He learned his half-brother did indeed exist, and Orm Marius alone (seemingly) welcomed him with open arms. Orm Marius even asked - pleaded with him - to take his rightful place as King... but Orin refused. His heart still burned with grief and anger for his father's death (and his mother's) - especially after Orm Marius let slip that Black Manta had been responsible for Tom Curry's heart-attack. That did it. Much to Vulko's (and apparently Orm's as well) disappointment, Orin returned to the Sea to seek revenge. In 1998, he found it. Or thought he did. In his rage, when Orin came upon Black Manta's boat he did not pause or show any mercy. He fell upon the only occupant of the boat and choked the life out of him - only to be spotted by the real Manta climbing up out of the water. In error, Orin had slain Manta's own father, instead of Manta himself - and thus began a seemingly endless cycle of revenge between the two nemeses, and a tale not unlike that of Captain Ahab and the White Whale. Meanwhile, Atlantis - and the Seven Seas - continued under the less-than-ideal rule of Orm Marius. Rumours began to circulate of some secret 'dark purpose' the King had planned - alliances with shadowy figures and organisations - but nothing was discovered or done about it until years later, when it was almost too late... 'Waterbearer and the One True King' ---- Stubborn in his refusal to take the throne, Orin put himself to work protecting the Seven Seas in other ways. Even without the crown he was still a force to be reckoned with - a super-hero, and a 'Super-Atlantean' - capable of feats no one else in the ocean could match - Until he met Mera. Mera. A woman as strong, as magnificent, as beautiful as the Sea herself - and as tempestuous and unpredictable. Of course, he barely knew her then (not even her name), and there was little opportunity to try. It was she (and Vulko) who told him the rumours concerning Orm Marius (which he refused to believe at first), and set him off on another quest to seek answers to a number of questions - one of those being: 'Why were so many lungmen (land-dwellers) suddenly so interested in ancient Atlantis?' The ocean filled with treasure-seekers and 'archaeologists' etc... and the King) did little about it. Atlantis suffered. Orin went artefact-hunting himself. Along the way, he found more friends (such as the Others - a loosely-knit group of like-minded individuals: Aaron Cole, Kahina the Seer, Prisoner-of-War, Sky Alchesay, The Operative, Vostok-X and Ya'Wara), made more enemies, and recovered treasures and relics of his people - relics that were old when Atlantis first sank beneath the waves - including the Trident of Neptune, which would stay with him as his weapon of choice, henceforward. He and The Others ran afoul of Black Manta more than once - but he was not the only enemy. Orin soon learned that Vandal Savage was one of those behind the many attempts to acquire powerful objects. When Savage and Orin first ran afoul of each other, each one seeking the same artefact - a goblet known to Savage as the Holy Grail of Arthurian legend, and known to Orin as the Chalice of The Dead King, Atlantis' first ruler - a deadly battle ensued, both on land and in the sea. For their trouble, Savage escaped with a grievous gut-wound from Orin's trident, Orin escaped with a bleeding stump where his left hand had been - and neither escaped with the Grail. It disappeared into a crack in the earth. Orin, bleeding terribly and far from any water-source, trudged away until he came upon a secluded, crystal-clear lake - seemingly out of nowhere. At the end of his strength, his wits and his will to continue, he clawed his way into the water and found himself almost instantly rejuvenated. That is when the Lady of the Lake rose out of the water and spoke to him of his quest, his efforts to thwart Vandal Savage, his desire for revenge against Black Manta, and his refusal to take his rightful place as King. She bid him follow his destiny, and gifted him with a new left hand - one constructed from the magical waters of the Secret Sea. Then she declared him Waterbearer, as she had once done for another 'Arthur', and released him near the shores of the ocean. In 2003, Orin returned to his people a new man. 'King Arthur and the Knights of the Justice League' ---- Orin/Arthur's attempt to assume the throne, after initially rejecting it, was not entirely received with gladness. Given the 'prophetic' colour of his golden hair and its connection to the Curse of Kordax, there were those who feared Orin would bring about more destruction as Kordax himself had done. His half-brother, Orm Marius, revealed his true nature then - not only for perpetuating the notion that Orin would destroy Atlantis, but Orm Marius also revealed having murdered the King and Queen (his own mother). In the face of his confessions of regicide (killing the king and queen), public opinion turned against Orm like the tides in the Bermuda Triangle. Still, he forced Orin to battle for the crown. Thus it came to be, that in the Fall of 2003, Orm the Pretender was defeated and exiled, Orin and Mera declared their feelings for each other, and Orin was crowned King of Atlantis and Ruler the Seven Seas. But the story was far from over... During the next three years - esp 2004-05 - reports of alien activity (both above and beneath the Sea) caused Orin to venture landside several times - prompting sightings, blogs of sightings, rebuttals of blogs of sightings etc... all regarding the mysterious new 'Aquaman' and his red-haired 'mermaid' companion. In 2006, the forces of Darkseid invaded the Earth, and 'Aquaman' made what was soon regarded to be his 'official debut'. Teaming up with other heroes: Martian Manhunter, Superman, Wonder-Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and the Batman, he helped them defeat Darkseid and send him fleeing back to his homeworld. The victorious heroes then agreed to band together, to pool their efforts and resources, to better protect the Earth - land, sea and sky. The Justice League was born. For the next several years, Orin alternated his activities between ruling the Seven Seas as King, and protecting the Earth as one of the Justice League. Often, circumstances forced him to act alone - or at the very least, apart from the League. Mera joined him on many of his adventures, and it was during this time that he met and began to mentor a young Atlantean by the name of Garth (who soon became known as 'Aqualad' at first, and then Tempest later on). Circumstances prevented Orin and Mera from marrying as soon as they would have liked - but they did finally exchange vows in the Spring of 2007. Soon afterward, Aqualad left Orin's side as his protégé, and took his place among the newly-formed Titans. In 2008, Mera gave birth to a son - hers and Orin's firstborn and heir to the throne (lovingly nickname Aquababy). Almost straight away enemies of the royal family began making attempts to kidnap or harm the baby, and Orin found himself increasingly torn between protecting his family, ruling his kingdom, and protecting the Earth. In 2010, tragedy struck. Twice. When the nigh-unstoppable creature called 'Doomsday' attacked the Justice League, Orin was among them - but it was not enough. Doomsday still defeated the League (as well as Stormwatch) before Superman finally arrived to save the day - even though it seemingly cost him his life. When Orin returned home to Atlantis once more, he learned that more of his enemies had taken advantage of the Doomsday attack to strike at the very heart of the Ocean King. Orin's son had been kidnapped. By none other than Black Manta. Manta forced Orin to fight Aqualad for his son's life (kill Aqualad, save Aquababy), but it was a trick: Orin's son died, and Manta escaped. 'The Mad King and the Merge' ---- From 2010 to 2012 was a very dark time for the King of the Seven Seas and his Queen. The Justice League, the Titans, the Others - and more - attended the funeral of Arthur Curry Jnr... although Orin himself very nearly did not. The funeral was quiet, private (but for their closest friends and comrades), and when it was over - Orin officially left the Justice League. All his efforts and focus turned towards his kingdom, his family, and the tracking down of one man: Black Manta. The Sea-King appeared to have turned into a darker, 'fell' version of himself. It took the end of the world to bring Orin back from rulership and revenge to rejoin theLeague. In 2012, amid all the other battles being fought above the surface, Orin had been receiving reports from all across the Seven Seas of strange anomalies (both mystical and ecological), and 'distortions' that were affecting the balance of life in each location. Atlantean resources were stretched thin trying to ascertain the cause. Through the magical powers within his waterhand (and its subsequent connection to the Secret Sea and the Lady of the Lake), Orin was able to confirm the phenomena for himself - he could sense the various shifts in the water: currents that went nowhere, whirlpools with no bottom, the discovery of grottos that clearly did not belong in any ocean on Earth, and tales of 'dead zones' - where anything that swam within... never came back the same. If at all. Attached to some of the reports were rumours regarding the involvement of figures such as Orm Marius (who was in exile), Black Manta (who was believed dead - slain by Orin and Mera), Vandal Savage, and even Kordax... in relation to the strange goings-on. Orin took his findings to the League and Stormwatch - to discover these things were not limited to the Seven Seas. Worlds were colliding - merging. His world. Orin joined the League in a much larger alliance (involving similar teams from the 'other world') to prevent the catastrophic event from occurring. As each crisis-unit went about its given task, Orin and Mera took Aqualad and Tempest with them, and returned to the ocean - where they found Orm Marius (now calling himself the Ocean Master) leading an army against Atlantis, an army that included several other archenemies of the King of the Sea, and alliances with 'new' enemies (such as Morgan Le Fey). In the ensuing battle, Orin gave into his rage and used his magical hand (the power of which was only meant to be used for Good) to directly harm his treacherous half-brother (in blind rage), and so summoned the terrible, mystical entity known only as The Thirst. The Thirst was the counterpart to the Lady of the Lake, the antithesis of the Waterbearer - and had long set its sights upon Orin. With its arrival, Orm revealed the awful truth to the King: this had been the plan all along. The Thirst began the systematic destruction of the ocean-realm, corrupting her waters and killing her citizens as it helped draw the two Earths together. Nothing could stop it. Until it was revealed to Orin that the only way to banish The Thirst from this realm entirely (and save the oceans of both Earths) was to surrender to it. He did. The Thirst disappeared, the armies of the Ocean Master were defeated, and the oceans were saved. 'In the Wake of Armageddon' ---- Orin returned to his throne and to his role in the League a wiser, better man. The Merge had left portions of the Seven Seas radically changed - perhaps forever. While the two Earths had been kept apart, there were now 'Bridges' between them - and several of these bridges were located beneath the waves (sea-currents that crossed dimensions, whirlpools that went 'nowhere', caves that exited in both dimensions, etc...). Orin commissioned Atlantean outpost to be constructed at each known Bridge. They were not the only problem. Other portions of the ocean had suffered some form of corruption - where the merging of the worlds had destabilised entire areas and warped the environment and the creatures therein. Cracks in the deepest of the deep places opened up, releasing 'new' (or very, very old) life-forms into the greater sea (like the twisted, impossibly-hungry 'Trench' people - creatures resembling humanoid angler-fish). Betrayal from within the Atlantean court allowed Black Manta (and others) to escape custody, along with several Atlantean artefacts. Too many of the city's resources were devoted to repairs and other matters to give adequate pursuit - especially since the devastation of The Merge (and the various corrupted areas) had forced masses of refugees out of their homes, and sparked a number of border disputes as well as attacks from opportunistic marauders. The Sea-Kings of both worlds (Orin and Namor) visited each other only once, early after The Merge. Initially, diplomatic relations did not go... very well (and not just because of their 'shared soul', which weakened both of them). There were tempers, accusations, declarations, ultimatums - even threats - and all that was putting it mildly. In the end, the only thing upon which they both agreed was that they did not like each other, but their worlds required their cooperation. An Accord was eventually signed by both monarchs to pledge help from one kingdom to the other, or vice versa, as needed - that did not require close contact (if any) between Orin and Namor themselves. Orin joined the Watchmen to keep an eye on the 'forbidden zones' created by The Merge, and the Bridges between worlds that were located in his realm. The fates of both Earths are now intertwined, and nothing will ever be the same again... Personality " For surely a king is first a man. And so it must follow that a king does as all men do: the best he can." - Cameron Dokey, The Storyteller's Daughter This sums up Orin's personality rather well. He was raised to be a man, long before he became a super-hero/adventurer, and he was a super-hero long before he became a king. It would be fair to say that, even before he wanted the responsibility of rulership, life was already preparing him for it. * Family: Orin's first and greatest passion. There is nothing in the sea or on land that drives him more than love for his family. He has already lost a son; he will not lose anyone else. In many ways, the League has become something of an ersatz extended family (which would probably make Superman the 'big brother', Wonder Woman the matronly 'older sister', Harold Jordan the 'rebellious teenager', and Batman the 'black sheep' - that strange relative who visits on special occasions). * Kingdom: The Sea is his home, his domain - even though he never really wanted to rule it (at least at first). Now, it is a burden he wears well (but that is not to say it is easy by any means). He tries to be a 'good' king, but he knows that 'good' and 'law' are not always the same thing, and leaders must be prepared to make 'impossible decisions' (those that have no 'good' answer) in order to rule well. Orin is by no means a pushover. He could never be accused of weakness, although he often finds his heart at war with his head. * Himself: Orin is his own 'worst critic'. He has made mistakes, and he knows it - however, he is not so hard on himself that one could say he has low self-esteem. He knows his own heart. Orin is honest, forthright, sincere. He will engage in witty repartee, but he does not like to 'play games' with people (except on special occasions). He is not one to talk a lot - unless he has a lot to say. While he is not quite someone who 'wears his heart on his sleeve', one can trust him to speak the truth (even if some of his emotions are concealed, what he reveals is never false). He is a plain-spoken man who has learned how to be a diplomat. He is chivalrous - a knight in shining armour. With a trident. Logs * 2015-02-23 - Sushi And Superheroes To Go - In the aftermath of some "clean-up duty" in San Francisco Harbor, Aquaman, Starfire and Red Robin sit down with some sushi - or try to. * 2015-02-17 - The League's Limits - The senior members of the Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Aquaman - with a brief, telepathic appearance by Martian Manhunter) convene to discuss the status of the world. It becomes clear that something is afoot beneath the Earth's oceans... * 2015-01-30 - The Lobsters Are Revolting - Aquaman and Wonder Woman arrive on the shores of Metropolis Bay to deal with some angry crustaceans... and the land-dwellers who want to eat them. Category:DC Features Category:Major Characters Category:Atlanteans Category:Wealthy Category:Celebrity Category:Justice League Category:1981 Births Category:Atlantis Category:Watchmen Category:Shared Souls Category:Taken Characters Category:Elite Characters